Chocolate Stollen

Mix the dried fruit and mixed peel in half the rum and stir in the orange zest and juice. Leave to soak overnight. Mix the chocolate and cranberries with the mixed peel mixture. Preheat the over to 190°C and line a Swiss roll tin with greaseproof paper. Melt 75g of the butter together with the milk and Vanilla Extract and stir in the caster sugar until dissolved. Leave to cool. To make the dough, combine the yeast, flour, cocoa, salt and Sweet Rub. Separate one of the eggs, reserving the white. Beat the yolk with the other egg and whisk into the cooled milk mixture. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Place in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

To make the marzipan, mix together the ground almonds, icing sugar and cocoa powder with the reserved egg white lightly together in a bowl until a soft dough forms. Roll out into a log about the same length as the Swiss roll tray. Melt the remaining butter and rum together. Keep aside. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and then roll it out into a vertical rectangular shape about 1cm thick. Brush the dough with the butter & rum mixture. Sprinkle the fruit mixture over the central third.

Fold the bottom 3rd up over the fruit and fold the top 3rd down. Push down on the sides to seal the edges of the pocket. Turn the dough clockwise and repeat the process of rolling out, sprinkling and folding, except this time, don’t turn it. Instead, place the marzipan in the centre of the dough; fold in the two sides to meet in the centre and place, join-side down in the lined tin. Brush with the butter & rum mixture and bake for 35 minutes.

As soon as you remove the stolen from the oven, brush with the remaining butter & rum mix and then dredge heavily in icing sugar. Allow to cool, and then sprinkle with cocoa powder to serve.

Serves 12